Story perspectives

South Africa Returns 300 Ghanaians Amid Xenophobia Protests

6/3/2026

Summary

Ghana Repatriates

South Africa flew 300 Ghanaians from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to Accra, the first repatriation flight under Ghana’s program.
Ghana’s Foreign Ministry expects about 800 citizens to return, pledges financial, psychological and social aid, and cites anti-immigrant protests in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, where unemployment above 30% fuels xenophobia.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa has no place for xenophobia, ethnic mobilization or intolerance of violence.

Summary

Ghana Job Initiative

Ghana launched a job initiative to employ Ghanaians returning from South Africa.
Home Affairs chief Stephen van Neel said only 10 of the 300 listed migrants were legally documented, with the other 290 illegal.
Ghana petitioned the African Union to place xenophobic violence on the agenda of its upcoming summit.
Nigeria’s police warned against reprisals on South Africans and cautioned the public against sharing unverified information.

History

Historical Context

South Africa’s 2008 xenophobic riots, which began on 12 May in Alexandra and left 62 dead, marked the first post-apartheid deployment of troops under President Thabo Mbeki. Decades of similar flare-ups resurfaced in May 2026 when Ethiopian migrants were killed and Ghana’s foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa organized the evacuation of roughly 300 citizens from Johannesburg.

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Ghana Repatriates

South Africa flew 300 Ghanaians from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to Accra, the first repatriation flight under Ghana’s program.
Ghana’s Foreign Ministry expects about 800 citizens to return, pledges financial, psychological and social aid, and cites anti-immigrant protests in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban, where unemployment above 30% fuels xenophobia.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa has no place for xenophobia, ethnic mobilization or intolerance of violence.

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